Category Archives: Recipes

Throughout my childhood and a few years beyond, a turkey dinner, Thanksgiving or otherwise, always called for cranberry sauce. And that sauce was Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce. It was good enough, traditional and a comfort. No one in my family, or my wife’s for that matter, ever suggested we try something different. Then four years ago, I came across this recipe. I’d like to credit it, but I cannot remember the source. I wrote it down on a 3 x 5 card. I made it in 2009. We loved it, our company loved it, so my wife asked me to make it again the next year. Alas, try as we might, we couldn’t find the card with the recipe. So back to Ocean Spray we went. Then during the next year, during one of those clean-ups where you empty boxes you’ve ignored for a long time, the recipe turned up. I made it and it was as good as ever. It’s a very simple recipe, and it keeps for months in the refrigerator, especially if you put it in a mason jar or one of those glass jars with the wire locking lids. So, here it is. I bet if you make it, you’ll make it again.

Cranberry-Apricot Relish

Ingredients:

24 oz whole cranberries (2 12 oz packages)

12 oz jar of apricot preserves

4 oz finely chopped dried apricots

¾ Cup of sugar

1 Cup of orange juice (fresh or a not-from-concentrate type like Tropicana)

½ Teaspoon ground ginger

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan, bring to boil, reduce

Not nearly as pretty, eh?

heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will pop open and soften as they simmer. Allow to cool, put in container and refrigerate for a few days to a week to

Throughout my childhood and a few years beyond, a turkey dinner, Thanksgiving or otherwise, always called for cranberry sauce. And that sauce was Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce. It was good enough, traditional and a comfort. No one in my family, or my wife’s for that matter, ever suggested we try something different. Then four years ago, I came across this recipe. I’d like to credit it, but I cannot remember the source. I wrote it down on a 3 x 5 card. I made it in 2009. We loved it, our company loved it, so my wife asked me to make it again the next year. Alas, try as we might, we couldn’t find the card with the recipe. So back to Ocean Spray we went. Then during the next year, during one of those clean-ups where you empty boxes you’ve ignored for a long time, the recipe turned up. I made it and it was as good as ever. It’s a very simple recipe, and it keeps for months in the refrigerator, especially if you put it in a mason jar or one of those glass jars with the wire locking lids. So, here it is. I bet if you make it, you’ll make it again.

Cranberry-Apricot Relish

Ingredients:

24 oz whole cranberries (2 12 oz packages)

12 oz jar of apricot preserves

4 oz finely chopped dried apricots

¾ Cup of sugar

1 Cup of orange juice (fresh or a not-from-concentrate type like Tropicana)

½ Teaspoon ground ginger

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan, bring to boil, reduce

Not nearly as pretty, eh?

heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will pop open and soften as they simmer. Allow to cool, put in container and refrigerate for a few days to a week to

Very Super Wings: The Beast
By Buz Whelan
I call this recipe the beast because the first time I made it some 24 years ago I used 6 tablespoons of butter, 6 tablespoons of hot sauce and 6 tablespoons of honey for the sauce. 666 is the sign of ‘the beast,’ the name for the devil during the middle ages. How many tablespoons of each you use depends on how many wings you’re making and how plump they are. This recipe is for 2 packages of Purdue Wingettes, my choice because they are plumper and meatier than most supermarket whole wings, and you don’t have that wasteful tip. If you do use whole wings, chop them into sections. Use the tips to make chicken stock, not in this recipe. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce because it doesn’t have the undertaste that I find in Tabasco. Use your favorite. Walmart’s Great Value would do fine.
Ingredients
2 packages Purdue Wingettes, 1 ½ lbs each
2 sticks lightly salted butter (1 cup)
1 C hot sauce
1 C honey, any variety (clover, apple blossom, etc)
Method
Crisp the wing sections under your broiler being careful not to burn. About 5 minutes 3” from flame on each side should do, but monitor carefully because broilers vary greatly. Make sauce by melting butter in a saucepan and then adding hot sauce and honey. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring frequently. Place wings in disposable aluminum pan, cover with sauce. Bake covered in a low oven (250 degrees) for at least an hour or up to an hour and a half. Wings may be prepared a day ahead, refrigerated and reheated at the time of serving.

Taco Pizza: A Super Treat
By Buz Whelan
This recipe is more about assembling than cooking. It combines elements of foods that are favorites for game-watching, including tacos and nachos.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 envelopes taco seasoning
Tomato sauce (according to seasoning directions)
½ to ¼ lb Monterey jack cheese, coarsely grated
15 oz can black olives, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped to ½ chunks
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
Package plain taco or tortilla chips
Hot salsa, to taste
Method
Brown meat, drain off excess fat, add seasoning, tomato sauce and water according to package directions. Cover a 14” microwaveable platter with the chips. Top with the seasoned beef. Top beef with salsa according to what you can take. Place the sliced olives, chopped tomatoes and onion randomly all over the meat. Sprinkle the grated cheese to cover the assembled platter and place in the microwave until cheese is melted (alternately, you can place under oven broiler being careful not to burn). Use a pie server to make individual portions on smaller plates.

A child is like a butterfly in the wind. Some can fly higher than others, but each one flies the best it can. Why compare one against the other? Each one is different. Each one is special. Each one is beautiful.